The Most Holy Redeemer Church is located at 1721 Junction Street in

Southwest Detroit Southwest Detroit is a neighborhood within Detroit. Clark Park is a popular park within the Hubbard Farms area of southwest Detroit (not to be confused with the similarly named Clark Park in Philadelphia). It is also well known for Mexicantown, De ...

, Michigan, within the West Vernor–Junction Historic District.Most Holy Redeemer Parish History
. Retrieved on April 15, 2009. The church was once estimated as the largest Roman Catholic parish in North America.Most Holy Redeemer Church
''Pewabic.org''. Retrieved April 12, 2011. West Vernor–Junction Historic District is adjacent to

Mexicantown Mexicantown is a List of neighborhoods in Detroit, neighborhood located in Detroit, Michigan.Mcewen, Meghan.Mexicantown Visiting Guide" ''Model D (magazine), Model D''. Tuesday February 28, 2006. Andrew Eckhous, a columnist for the ''Michigan Dai ...

and contains a growing Mexican community and resurgent neighborhood.

History

The parish was founded in 1880 by Redemptorist father Aegidius Smulders, a former chaplain in the

Confederate army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

.Collum, Marla O. "Most Holy Redeemer, Roman Catholic", ''Detroit's Historic Places of Worship'', chap.28, Wayne State University Press, 2012
/ref> Initially the parish served a congregation predominantly of Irish immigrants, many of whom worked in the tobacco factories. Services were held at first, above Patrick Ratigan's general store on West Jefferson Avenue and later in what was then known as Paddy McMahon's Saloon. Church services were held on the first floor, while the second served as a residence for priests."Most Holy Redeemer Church", The Pluralism Project, Harvard University, 2006
/ref> The first church building, a wood-frame structure designed by Redemptorist Brother Thomas, and known as the Little Church on Sand Hill, was dedicated in 1881. A second larger Gothic style church was built in 1896 during the tenure of pastor Benedict Neithart. As Irish and German residents moved to the suburbs, people of Latin American descent from the Corktown area of Detroit took their place. A mass in Spanish was instituted in 1960. In 1999, The Redemptorists turned the parish over to the

Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is ...

. The parish school was started by the

Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), founded as the Daughters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Catholic religious teaching institute for women. The institute was founded in the Catalan city of ...

in 1882. Sisters of the

Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) is a Society of Apostolic Life within the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded in 1958 by Father James H. Flanagan, a priest from the United States. The Society maintains missions in v ...

(SOLT) arrived at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in August 2017 to work in the school and serve the parish. SOLT Seminarians are also in residence at the parish, studying at the nearby Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

Architecture

Built in 1921, the present church and was dedicated on April 1, 1923. Designed by the firm of

Donaldson and Meier Donaldson and Meier was an architectural firm based in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1880 by John M. Donaldson (1854–1941) and Henry J. Meier (1858–1917), the firm produced a large and varied number of commissions in Detroit and so ...

, it was constructed in the Roman basilica style with a Romanesque façade. The church seats about 1,400. A campanile was constructed around 1924 in memory of parishioners who died in World War I.Tutag, Nola Huse and Hamilton, Lucy. "Holy Redeemer Church", ''Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit''
Wayne State University Press, 1987 The stained glass double lancet aisle windows were designed by

Charles Jay Connick Charles Jay Connick (1875–1945) was a prominent American painter, muralist, and designer best known for his work in stained glass in the Gothic Revival style. Born in Springboro, Pennsylvania, Connick eventually settled in the Boston area where ...

. Those in the south aisle depict the parables of Jesus, those on the north side, the miracles. The clerestory windows are by the Detroit Stained Glass works. The Pewabic mosaic floor tile is by

Mary Chase Perry Stratton Mary Chase Perry Stratton (March 15, 1867 – April 15, 1961) was an American ceramic artist. She was a co-founder, along with Horace Caulkins, Horace James Caulkins, of Pewabic Pottery, a form of ceramic art used to make architectural tiles. ...

.Kirkham, Pat. ''Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000''
Yale University Press, 2002, , p. 349

Description

The parish contains a longstanding elementary school, along with the

Detroit Cristo Rey High School Detroit Cristo Rey High School (DCRHS) is a private, coeducational, Roman Catholic high school in Detroit, Michigan, in the West Vernor-Junction Historic District.Delaney, Rober"Cristo Rey adds sponsors, looks for more, as it starts its second yea ...

, which has operated since 2008 inside of the building of the former

Holy Redeemer High School Holy Redeemer High School is a high school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. It is located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. It is currently the only Catholic high school in Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in th ...

.Cristo Rey ready to 'rise'
Retrieved on March 1, 2010. As in the other Southwest Detroit neighborhoods, such as Springwells Village, West Vernor Highway is the main commercial thoroughfare. Churches, parks, recreation centers, and theaters anchor neighborhoods such as the West Vernor-Junction intersection that Holy Redeemer parish dominates.

In popular culture

The Hollywood movie ''

The Rosary Murders ''The Rosary Murders'' is a 1987 American mystery film, mystery crime film directed by Fred Walton (director), Fred Walton and starring Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer (actress), Belinda Bauer, and Josef Sommer. Its plot follows ...

'' (1987), starring actors

Donald Sutherland Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films ''Citizen X'' (1995) an ...

and

Charles Durning Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays.Schudel, Matt (December 26, 2012) "''In real life and on the screen, he played countless role ...

, prominently featured the church and the neighborhood.

History

Architecture

Description

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading